Hawks ready for district track

Horizon Christian School tuned up for this weekend’s district track and field meet with third-place (boys) and fifth-place (girls) finishes Saturday at the Portland Lutheran School 1A Track Classic.

The classic field included 20 Class 1A schools and the meet was held during sun breaks at Portland Christian School. Coach Emma Neiworth-Petshow said the competition proved to be a good way to head into the district finals.

“We had a fantastic showing; we had 24 top-eight places, including 10 top-three places,” she said. “We move into (district) week with that momentum, preparing for our last regular season competition.”

The District 3-1A championship meet is Saturday at Sherman County High in Moro. Field events begin at 10:45 a.m., running events start at 1 p.m.

Last weekend, the Hawk boys were led by junior Mason Bloomster who won the 100 meters and placed third in the 200. He also ran the anchor leg on Horizon’s second-place 400-meter relay team. Horizon scored 70 teams points, placing it behind Sherman (97) and Crosshill Christian (76). Bloomster and senior Austin Requa have been key contributors on the Hawk relays and in the sprints this season. Requa has been splitting time this spring between track and field and golf, where he has been Horizon’s No.1-ranked competitor all season.

The Hawk girls were led at the Track Classic by junior Hannah Kempf, who was second in the 110 high hurdles, and fourth in both the 100 and 200. Horizon scored 45.5 team points in the girls competition, which was won by Sherman.

Neiworth-Petshow said Bloomster and Kempf, both who qualified for the state meet a year ago, are among the top six in district in numerous events (athletes can compete in four events in a single meet).

“We’re still trying to decide what events they will enter, and that’s the case with a couple other of our athletes,” the coach said. “Mason could run either of the three sprints, long jump, triple jump, even throw the javelin. Hannah could run the sprints, either hurdle race, or do the long jump or triple jump.”

Other top performances Saturday for Horizon came from freshman Jony Nelson, who ran two personal bests in the distance races. Nelson was third in the 1,500 in 4:38.43 and third in the 3,000 in 9:56.06. Freshman Luke Holste was second in the 300 low hurdles and third in the 110 high hurdles; senior Patrick Foss was fourth in the pole vault, and ran the lead-off legs on the Hawk 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay (fourth place); freshman Ian Davidson was fourth in the high jump and long jump. Davidson’s long jump mark of 18 feet, 7 inches was a season best by 15 inches.

Freshmen Kloee Brown and Haley Becnel, and senior Kaylee Demchuk each ran legs on the Horizon girls relay teams (third in the 4x400; fourth in the 4x100). Brown also was sixth in her first-ever 800; Becnel was fifth in the pole vault and eighth in the 400; while Demchuk was third in the pole vault.